Feds step in with a ruling regarding public camping.

[Dalorin]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/08/13/its-unconstitutional-to-ban-the-homeless-from-sleeping-outside-the-federal-government-says/?tid=HP_more?tid=HP_more

Maybe a bit predictable given the current economic climate. Anyway, it seems that cities in the United States are going to have a very hard time keeping laws against sleeping in public. Huge implications here.

[jstrubberg]

Dumb. Very disappointed in this decision, but then, what else is new?

[dales133]

Pretty sad when when the powers that be turn a blind eye to the plight of the homeless on one hand and persicute them for sleeping rough.
Of course its not a good look to have people sleeping in the streets but punnishing them for thier misfortune isnt addressing the cause

[Dalorin]

It's not for me to say what is right or wrong. Too long and complicated a discussion.
But I can make an observation.

There were already 25 year olds saying that it just wasn't worth entering the rat race. They get a van or a pop-up and throw it out somewhere inconspicuous and call it home.

Usually that's illegal. But now, if a local law is used to prosecute an individual in this situation, that individual can sue the city and has very solid grounds for winning.

So it's very likely that this could empower a transient lifestyle.

Right or wrong, there could be a lot more tent cities in the near future.

What it might mean for a camper owner is that (in the near future) they will not have to worry nearly as much about where they stop for the night. Which I thought made it relevant to share.

[dales133]

Witch may give the tiny house movement the shot in the arm it needs.

[jstrubberg]

Erm, no. This changes nothing at all concerning zoning laws, which is where tiny house owners run into trouble. What this does mean is more transients. Would it startle you to hear that we have run into people from overseas who come to the U.S. to beg for a few months out of the year and return home to live on the proceeds for the rest of the year?

[Dalorin]

It changes a lot for tiny houses parked in public areas. There you aren't dealing with zoning laws. You're dealing with public camping. Possibly for an individual who's otherwise homeless?

I agree that those law abiding citizens trying to live on land they purchased are still up a creek.

I'm not advocating colonization of public areas by the way. I'm only pointing out that this is one possible ramification.

[jstrubberg]

That's not going to fly, either. There's no way you can park any kind of trailer in a public area without violating a parking ordinance. Tiny houses don't move on a regular basis, they aren't designed for that. This "right to sleep" isn't going to convey a "right to squat".

Now, this will affect some folks on this board by removing the ability of municipalities to prevent overnight stays outside of campgrounds. Personally, I think that's a bad thing but it will open up opportunities for the Wal Mart campers.

[dales133]

Erm, no. This changes nothing at all concerning zoning laws, which is where tiny house owners run into trouble. What this does mean is more transients. Would it startle you to hear that we have run into people from overseas who come to the U.S. to beg for a few months out of the year and return home to live on the proceeds for the rest of the year?

I live in melborne australia and there was a news segment saying the same thing happens here.
I dont altogether trust the media any more than i trust politicians.
They both have thier axes to grind for thier own causes and its usualy motivated by things denied.
Probably has an eliment of truth but in reality one person gets caught and all of a sudden everyones guilty.
The worlds in foriegner suspicion mode at the moment and its getting fueled not extingushed

[Catherine+twins]

This is actually pretty important here in New Mexico. Just today 8/18/15 a judge in Albuquerque ruled that one policeman and one former policeman should stand trial for murder in the death of a homeless man who was killed during his eviction from public land just outside the city limits. The man actually had two strikes against him: he was homeless, and he was mentally ill. The Albuquerque police force is notorious for reacting to mental illness with deadly force. In fact, the federal DOJ compiled a long report about the APD's use of excessive force in all manner of situations, but oddly enough, the cops were always judged to have acted appropriately. Of course, that was almost always because lapel cameras mysteriously failed to record the actual encounters. That is, until now. The shooters' cameras were convenienly pointed at the ground, but not everyone in the detail got the message, and a couple filmed the whole thing.

The day the defense asked the judge to throw out all charges, the judge instead threw out involuntary manslaughter, noting that there appeared to be nothing involuntary about it.

http://www.koat.com/news/closing-argume ... e/34777938

Catherine

[Dalorin]

Removed

[kludge]

It's no wonder.

About 3/4th of college graduate can't find job in their fields. Even historically highly sought after graduates (STEM related fields).

There's no such thing as a summer job anymore for many teenagers. Good luck especially if you are black.

1. Until 90% of out college grads have jobs within 3-6 months of graduating, there should be ZERO immigrants allowed into the country to fill those jobs or ANY jobs. After raising our five kids and getting them into school, my wife graduated 2 years ago - academic full-ride scholarship for working students, graduated with Honors, a 4.0 in her major, the Faculty Award for the entire liberal arts school, Two years in the Top 100 students at the university and Top 10 Women as a senior. It took her 6 MONTHS to find a job that would pay her anything close to what a college graduate would expect, and barely more than what the people at McDonald's want. She received offers of $12 an hour and turned them all down. Her new job promised her to be able use her degree, then she was denied. She spend over a year in that job as a receptionist and making photocopies and not at all respected. A job she could have done when she was 18 before she started college. This is what awaits MANY of our graduates. It's a good thing I am employed or she would have had to take a $12/hour job. I made $12/hour as an intern in 1991. Two years later, she has a new job in her field and is respected and praised for her work. So there you go - the best person to graduate in her field that year at her university needed two years to find a real job. Unbelievable.

2. When your work Visa expires you go home until #1 is true.

2. 40% of illegal immigrants here now overstayed their Visa.

3. We have about 10-20 (maybe 30) million people here in this country illegally. Imagine the number of jobs that would be available to our youth and young people and the people currently on unemployment or welfare.

4. The unemployment rate is artificially low because they stopped counting the way they did before.

5. Billions are spent on health care and education for illegals that should be spent on caring for and education and re-educating our own people.

The democraps want the illegals here and want them all made legal to increase their voting block. The repukagains turn a blind eye in a premeditated, codependent stalemate because of the cronies and chambers of commerce want to have them (the illegals) here to drive wages down and fill the politician's coffers with campaign contributions. Both parties continue to kick the can down the road instead of any semblance of law enforcement -- and then they turn around and prevent any local or state enforcement.

There is NO law enforcement/border enforcement except where people normally come and go legally, and some places WELCOME and ENCOURAGE them to come. Obama lets THOUSANDS of CRIMINALS, many waiting for deportation out of jail and onto our streets.

(For the record ANYONE here illegally is ALREADY a criminal. People who broke the immigration laws are by definition criminals.)

Don't talk to me about dreamers. Where is the American Dream for my kids, and your kids and grandkids?

It is only going to get worse.

[Catherine+twins]

Ooh, I see this thread getting locked very soon.

Catherine

[MtnDon]

Ooh, I see this thread getting locked very soon.

Catherine

Most likely. But as someone who came here legally 30 years ago and jumped through all the federal hoops, I have to agree with kludge's points.

[Dalorin]

While I understand and appreciate the sentiments towards illegal colonization, I really would like to steer the thread back toward the topic of legalizing public camping.

I would rather the topic remain open because this is something that will play out over a period of time and it would be nice to have this thread for updates.